Humidifiers

We, in our experience, haven’t ever seen a good use for humidifiers in Florida, except in the case of a winter stuffy nose. The lack of humidity can dry out your skin and mucous membranes. Low humidity also makes the air feel colder than it actually is. Excessively dry air can also dry out the wood in the walls and floors of your home or business. As this drying wood shrinks, it can cause creaks in floors and cracks in drywall and plaster.

Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers, on the other hand, are more commonly used in Florida to improve indoor air quality. High humidity can usually leave one with that muggy, heavy feeling that fills the air. Often this occurs when it’s rainy, foggy, or hot outside (sounds like Florida!). Excessive humidity can make your hair frizzy and may seem to dampen everything, as well as allow spores to grow and wood in the home to swell, and … well, you get the idea.

When talking about relative humidity, an average home typically maintains from 30-55% humidity when the air conditioner is operating properly. An air conditioner in cool mode acts like a dehumidifier by condensing moisture on the coil and draining it outside. Increased dehumidification is offered on many new systems by pairing variable speed blowers with single or two-stage condensers. If your home is not maintaining a low comfortable living space, it may be an issue with the A/C system or a system being oversized for your home.

Ultraviolet light

Another option for indoor air quality is an invisible form of electromagnetic radiation. That may sound scary, but UV light can be a great friend! UV light is not visible to the naked eye, but it can cause some substances to emit visible light. We call that visible light fluorescence. UV light, which is present in sunlight, can be beneficial to your health, as it stimulates the production of Vitamin D. It also kills many harmful microorganisms. UV light has many uses, and it can help keep your equipment and air safe from these microorganisms when put in an air handler. In addition, UV lights are an effective way to keep molds and spores from growing and increases the air quality of the whole home or business.  

If you’re interested in any of these indoor air quality options for your home or business or need some more questions answered, please visit www.KalosFlorida.com or call us at 352-243-7088!

The post 3 Products to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality appeared first on Kalos Services.

The kind of air filter you buy can make a huge difference, and you should be aware of a few things when planning on how to maintain and choose the correct filter for your air conditioning system in your home or business.

A discussion on air filters could last forever, but here are three things to be aware of when planning on how to maintain and choose the correct filter for your home or business’s air conditioning system.

MERV rating

The MERV rating is a measurement scale designed in 1987 by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers to rate the effectiveness of air filters in indoor air quality. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and you can check out a chart in a previous post if you want to know what the numbers mean. In general, filters with a higher MERV rating need to be changed more often since they pick more contaminants out of the air—but that’s why you want them. Filters with a high MERV rating get more out of the air! Another factor to consider is the air filter’s thickness. For example, a MERV 8 pleated 1 ” filter doesn’t filter any better than a MERV 8 pleated 4″ filter. However, the 4″ filter will last longer because of the increased surface area compared to the 1″ filter.

Changing intervals

There is a common myth sold to homeowners concerning the infamous “30-Day Air Filter” vs. “90-day Air Filter.” As filters pull things out of the air, they block your air more and more, making your equipment work harder, even keeping it from cooling the house well! Running your system with a dirty filter can make your costs skyrocket. The reality is that each home has different conditions within it; those conditions will affect how much is in the air for the filter to remove. If you have pets, or if your kids are going in and out of the house all day, you will probably need to change your filter before the box’s recommendation. There are options for those who do want a filter that will last longer than 30 days, but they often aren’t cheap.

The most common option is purchasing a system that uses a larger filter. Go to our indoor air quality page for some information on these types of systems. Lower airflow due to a dirty filter can decrease capacity. Consequently, the system’s energy efficiency ratio or performance factor can increase your heating and cooling cost. A filter should be periodically checked and replaced when needed, not just every 30 days!

Correct Sizing

Using the correct size filter for your return is essential when selecting your air filter. Your filter is meant to protect your air-conditioning equipment, not just you. Under-sizing a filter can result in the air flowing into the return grille. So, it bypasses your filter, dropping dog hair and dust on the expensive, heat-exchanging coil instead of the changeable filter. That would allow your system’s components to suffer the consequences of a lack of protection from your air filter. You essentially waste the money you spent on an air filter. Moreover, poor filter sizing might result in higher energy bills and possibly damaging the equipment.

The most common under-sizing would be in cases where a filter is an inch or less from a more common size, like 15×20 or 20×21½. If you are under-sizing, the dust and debris that you see on your filter every month may only be a part of what is traveling through your air system or even clogging up expensive equipment!

We hope this article helps your selection process. If you have any questions, please visit our homepage, www.KalosFlorida.com, or call us at 352-243-7088.

The post Is Your Air Filter Costing You Money? appeared first on Kalos Services.

In the State of Florida and around the country, you hear stories all the time about unsuspecting homeowners being the victims of theft or scams by an unlicensed contractor who works or says he is going to do work on their homes.

Before you let a contractor into your home or business, you must know for sure if that person is a licensed professional or not. Hiring a licensed contractor offers many additional protections to the property owner, especially regarding residential property. First of all, a contractor cannot obtain a license without a minimum amount of experience, and they must pass a business management test. The applicant also may be subjected to a criminal history background check and must not have any unresolved contracting complaints outstanding.

Five Minutes Can Save You One Huge Headache

So, here’s our five-minute process that could potentially protect you from a huge financial mistake.

*We will be using The State of Florida as our example. If you live in another state, the laws will be similar, but check your government’s regulations and laws for differences.

For the fastest results, just follow this link to arrive at the search page.

This is part of the MyFlorida.com Department of Business and Professional Regulation website. You can also access the license verification database from the main page. Navigate to http://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/. You will see two yellow buttons beneath the search bar, and the one on the right says “Verify a License.” Select that button.

If you are checking a particular company or a certain individual, click on Search by Name, but there are other options available as Next, click the Search button at the right.

Now, you can enter your information to search for a particular person or company. Usually, you will find who you are looking for with their name and correct city.

You’ll see a list of licenses on the screen, and in our particular case, see the Air Conditioning, Electrical and General Contractors license we hold. (You can also click into the entry to further investigate the company – to ensure that everything is up to date with their Florida license and that you are looking at the right company.)

Contractor Check Complete

There you go! Though this process won’t completely protect you from incompetence, it will at least protect you from scammers. This process can be a great resource when you’re doing business with anyone you have not properly vetted or without solid referrals. Check out websites like Angi or the Better Business Bureau for reviews on how that company does business. You can also see if their customers are pleased with them!

Do you have questions? We can help! Fill out the form below:

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